1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print system capable of notifying a user of progress of print operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a conventional print system including an information processing terminal for generating original data, a printer controller for converting the original data Into print data, and a printer for executing print operations based on the print data.
Specifically, the information processing terminal generates original data. The original data may be data in a page description language (PDL), such as PostScript, or image data, such as Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) image data, Joint Photographic coding Experts Group (JPEG) image data. Because the original data cannot be processed by the printer, the printer controller, such as a raster image processor (RIP), converts the original data into print data which can be processed by the printer. The print data is then transmitted to the printer, and temporarily stored in a buffer memory or a storage device of the printer. The printer performs print operations based on the print data for forming images on a recording medium.
Because of a limited capacity of the buffer memory, not all print data can be stored in the buffer memory at once. Therefore, after the print operations are performed based on print data stored in the buffer memory, the print data is cleared from the buffer memory, thereby generating free space in the buffer memory. Then, subsequent print data is received and stored in the buffer memory. This pattern is repeated until all print data is transmitted from the printer controller.
In a small print system, the printer controller is provided internally of the information processing terminal. However, in large scale print systems, such as computer network with a larger printer capable of printing banners several meters long, the printer controller is provided as a separate device from the information processing terminal in order to lighten the processing burden on the information processing terminal. In this case, the printer controller is connected between the information processing terminal and the printer. In both cases, the printer controller receives all original data from the information processing terminal over the network at one time, converts the receive original data into print data, and transmits the print data to the printer a portion at a time in a plurality of steps.
The print systems described above determine the progress of print operations being performed by the printer and notify the user. This determination is made based on the amount of print data that remains in the printer controller, untransmitted to the printer. However, the progress of print operations at the printer is not directly related to the amount of the untransmitted print data. For example, print data can remain unprinted in the printer, even if all the print data is transmitted from the printer controller to the printer. However, when the printer controller completely transmits all print data to the printer, then the user will be notified that printing operations have been completed even if unprinted print data still remains in the buffer memory of the printer. In this way, the progress of print operations can not be accurately notified.
Moreover, the printer may be required to stop print operations for some reasons even when the printer retains some unprinted print data. The user cannot accurately grasp the progress of the print operation, especially when his or her desk is located far away from the printer.